Three CU faculty members named distinguished professors
Active Distinguished Professors at CU-Boulder
Frank S. Barnes, Ph.D.
Department of Electrical/Computer Engineering
Roger G. Barry, Ph.D.
Department of Geography
Marvin Caruthers, Ph.D.
Department of Chemistry/Biochemistry
Thomas R. Cech, Ph.D.
Department of Chemistry/Biochemistry
Andrzej Ehrenfeucht, Ph.D
Department of Computer Science
Margaret A. Eisenhart, Ph.D.
School of Education
Delbert S. Elliott, Ph.D.
Institute of Behavioral Science
Barbara Alpern Engel
Department of History
Richard Jessor
Institute of Behavioral Science
Carl Lineberger, Ph.D.
Department of Chemistry/Biochemistry
Steven Maier, Ph.D.
Department of Psychology
James R. Markusen, Ph.D.
Department of Economics
Allan McMurray
College of Music
Jane Menken, Ph.D.
Department of Sociology
Linda M. R. Watkins, Ph.D.
Department of Psychology and
Center for Neurosciences
Carl E. Wieman, Ph.D.
Department of Physics
Charles F. Wilkinson, LL.B.
School of Law
William B. Wood, Ph.D
Department of Molecular, Cellular and
Developmental Biology
CU recently named three faculty members as distinguished professors, one of the prestigious positions at the university.
CU recognized Kristi Anseth, Margaret Murnane and Norman Pace for outstanding achievement in their respective fields of chemical and biological engineering, physics, and biology. The three professors join the ranks of 24 other active distinguished professors at CU.
“It’s the highest honor we give to faculty members,” said CU Provost Phil DiStefano. “Many awards that we give our faculty members are either for research excellence or teaching excellence. [Distinguished professors] have to excel in both research and creative work.”
The university singled out Anseth, Murnane and Pace for the distinction during a Board of Regents meeting Jan. 24 after an extensive process involving department recommendations and a vote by the chancellor and president.
According to a press release, Anseth, a nationally recognized biomedical engineer was the first engineer to be named a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator in 2000. She has also been recognized for numerous research and teaching awards, including the Curtis W. McGraw Award issued by the American Society for Engineering Education.
Anseth is currently leading a team of faculty members and students in working on growth stimulation of human tissues to replace those lost through injury or disease. She received her doctorate in chemical engineering from CU in 1994.
As a professor in the physics and electrical and computer engineering departments, Murnane has also been recognized with a number of awards, including the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the University College Cork and most recently, the Fellow of the Association for Women in Science.
Her research endeavors include an extensive study of lasers and blowing atoms apart.
“Understanding that process is important and allows you to make laser-like x-rays,” said Henry Kapteyn, Murnane’s husband and collaborator.
Despite Murnane’s achievements as a pioneer in her field of work, she cites teaching as the most enjoyable and rewarding aspect of her career as a professor.
“I really don’t think of myself doing research,” she said. “I think about the students doing research, and I mentor them.”
Murnane said she is excited about the additional influence she will have in making the university a better place.
Pace, who teaches in the MCD biology department, has also been named a distinguished professor at Indiana University. Pace is a member of the prestigious U.S. National Academy of Sciences, and has recently received a lifetime achievement award from the Abbott-American Society for Microbiology.
Pace is an investigator for the NASA Astrobiology Institute. Much of his research is dedicated to studying the synthesis, structure and function of ribonucleic acids, or RNA. He also serves on the editorial board for two journals dedicated to microbiology including “RNA” and “Environmental Microbiology.”
The Board of Regents created the designation of distinguished professor in 1977.
Contact Campus Press Staff Writer Spencer Everett at spencer.everett@colorado.edu.
